construction has begun on the OMA-designed taipei performing arts centre (TPAC) in taipei taiwan. the dutch practice won the competition to build the multi-theatre space in january 2009, beating out 135 other entries from 24 countries. see designboom’s coverage of the project during its proposal phase here.

the overall architecture of TPAC is composed of three main volumes, one 1,500-seat theatre and two 800-seat theatres, which plug into a central cube clad in corrugated glass. this consolidates the supporting backstage spaces and mechanical facilities of each auditorium into a single, efficient mass, while also letting the theatres function individually and autonomously. this arrangement allows the performing platforms to be modified or merged for unexpected scenarios and uses, offering specific advantages, as well as undefined freedoms.

the structure is lifted off the ground, the central block permitting the street to extend both under and upwards into the building, gradually separating the different auditoriums. this layout draws people into the ‘public loop’, an outdoor courtyard built within the infrastructure, whereby the general public, including those without a ticket, are also encouraged to enter TPAC and observe the areas of production that are typically hidden from view such as rehearsals, technical spaces. this gives the audience the opportunity to experience theatre production more fully, while also reaching out to the broader community.

the main theatre, ‘proscenium playhouse’, resembles a suspended planet, docked within the central cube. the audience is able to circulate between an inner and outer shell to access the space. from within, the intersection of the internal framework and the cube forms a unique proscenium that creates any frame imaginable.

a contemporary evolution of the large performance spaces of the 20th century, the ‘grand theatre’ resists the standard shoebox-shape, taking on a slightly asymmetrical form. the stage level, parterre and balcony are all unified into a folded plane.

the industrial-like volume of the ‘super theatre’ is formed by coupling the ‘grand theatre’ and ‘multiform theatre’. it has the capacity to accommodate previously impossible productions such as B.A. zimmermann’s opera ‘die soldaten’ (1958), which demands a 100-metre-long stage. existing conventional works can now be re-imagined on a more monumental scale, encouraging new practices of experimental theatre to flourish.

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